


Promise me

by Noomerif



Category: One Piece
Genre: F/M, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Funny, Kissing, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:15:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23336740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noomerif/pseuds/Noomerif
Summary: Even if it was the first time meeting him, you two already had a friend in common.
Relationships: Brook (One Piece)/Reader
Kudos: 47





	Promise me

Your adventure with the Straw Hat Crew started a long time ago, but for you it was as if it was yesterday.

The first time you met Luffy was on the Baratie. 

You were traveling by yourself and decided to take a break and enjoy a good meal but, obviously, the future had other plans for you since you found yourself helping a guy with a straw hat to fight a lunatic in a golden armor. You still remembered the satisfaction you felt when that boy smacked his smug grin off his face.

After the battle, he asked you to join his crew along with the blonde cook. And that was the start of a new chapter of your life.

The years went by as you traveled with them from island to island, making new friends, fighting the Marine and escaping them everytime. And slowly your crew grew over time. 

You loved them all, even if sometimes they made you angry, especially two people in particular, since you were always interrupted in the middle of your training with your double blades by their constant arguing. 

After all those adventures they weren't only friends, they became your family.

But unfortunately, things don't always go the way you want.

Once you were about to leave Water Seven with a brand new companion, personal matters concerning your home island arose, and you knew that they needed your help.

That day you made a tough but necessary decision: you stayed behind.

You still remember their tear-streaked faces as you greeted them from the dock. You also remember that Luffy and Usopp had even made peace with each other just to be able to say goodbye to you.

But it wasn't a farewell. You knew that one day you'd come back and continue your journey with them.

At least now you could say that you understood how Vivi felt when we departed from Alabasta.

As time passed, you read the newspaper every day, marveling at your friend's exploits. They had even recruited another companion! You couldn't wait to meet him!

You felt a great pain as one day you read the article about the end of the war in Marineford, praying that everyone was alright and safe, especially your captain.

But a few days later a spark of hope ignited when you saw a picture of Luffy on the front page. 

You saw the hidden message in it...and you knew that it was addressed to you too.

A smile appeared on your face at the thought that soon you would meet them again.

~~~~~~

~2 Years Later~

You ran through the Groves of the Sabaody Archipelago, searching for the hidden ship with the lion head. Your legs were starting to hurt and the backpack you wore wasn't very helpful. You silently prayed that the information that the kind old man had given you was true.

You finally saw it, the large sailing ship with a lion head. The ship on which you had not yet had the opportunity to travel just a few hundreds meters away. 

But it was already halfway underwater.

You sped up, your lungs burning as you screamed as loud as you could.

"LUFFYYY! IT'S ME! Y/N!!" You forced your legs to run faster as you saw the people on the boat turn around in your direction.

"I WAITED SO LONG TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN!! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND!!" 

Tears started to water your vision, your body aching from the great effort. 

Not again... I don't want to leave them again!

As tears started to stream down your face, you saw something flying towards you. It took a moment for your brain to process what was happening.

You quickly looked down and you saw a pair of arms wrapped around your body. Then, your vision became blurry, the wind hitting your face at great speed.

The arms returned to their owner and you were crushed in the strongest hug you ever recieved.

"Y/N!! I was starting to think you wouldn't come!" You looked up, smiling as you saw Luffy, his usual grin splitting his face in two as he laughed loudly. You hugged him back overjoyed to see that fool of your captain once again, "How could I?!" you said laughing.

Soon enough everyone circled the two of you as they took turns to greet you and to hug their old nakama.

Everyone seemed so different from the people you remembered, yet they still were the same, as if time didn't pass.

"I'm so happy to be here with you guys, I missed you so much!" You said with teary eyes.

"I missed you too, Y/n-chan!!~" said Sanji with hearts in his eyes, right before receiving a death stare from Zoro. 

"She just got back, don't creep her out, you shitty cook!"

"What did you say you poor excuse of a swordsman?!"

You couldn't believe that you even missed their short temper. As Chopper hugged your waist in tears, you heard Nami screaming at them before hitting the two in the head. 

Yep, nothing has changed so far.

But something caught your eye for a moment: a big, fluffy black mass of hair sticking out from behind Franky's large form. You stood up to look better, still hugging Chopper to your chest.

You made eye contact- or, at least, one-way-eye-contact with a tall skeleton. You looked at him, your eyes widening from excitement.

"You must be Brook! I'm so happy that I can finally meet you! Even if I have to admit: you have a lot less skin than the image on your wanted poster!" You said with a bright smile on your face.

He took a minute to process what you said, as he looked back in your big, (e/c) eyes. He started laughing, a quite unique laughter if you had to say, but you loved it already!

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Y/n! The others told me a lot about you, but I didn't think that you'll be so pleasant to the eye... even if I don't have them! Skull Joke! Yohohoho~"

You laughed with him, a bit of pink dusting your cheeks. You knew that you'll become great friends.

"By the way, my dear" he looked at you for a moment. With the corner of your eye you saw Nami turn towards him, a thick mark appearing on her head as she approached the tall skeleton. 

"Can I see your panties?"

You froze in place as you stared back at him, your face turning as red as a tomato.

"Will you ever stop asking that to every woman you meet?! Pervert!" Nami screamed as she punched him on the head.

As the adrenaline of the moment slowly returned to normal, everyone scattered on the deck, talking to each other about the events of the past two years, while the Thousand Sunny peacefully descended toward the dark sea depths.

You walked over to Brook, sitting on the railing near him. You looked up at his beautiful afro, questioning how it would feel if you touched it with your hands. 

"Is there something wrong, Y/n-san?" He asked as he acknowledged your presence.

Oh god, tell me you weren't staring at him. What a great start for a first meeting, great job Y/n.

"I was just wondering how does a skeleton have hair so good!" You said, recovering from the embarrassment.

"Yohohoho! My hair is a very important thing for me, I try to keep it at its best!"

"Really? How so?"

He looked at you, almost pondering whether or not to answer your question.

You quickly regretted asking as you saw his reaction "I'm sorry, I didn't thought it would have been a personal question! You don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable" you apologized, looking at your feet.

"Oh no! I'm sorry if I made you think that way, it's just that not everyone asks about my hair!" He said waving his hands in front of him.

"I still have it because it's the only thing that can allow me to be recognized by an old friend of mine, since as you can see my body is no longer like it used to be, yohohoho!" He said laughing.

You frowned as you looked at him, "I don't think that you really need it! I'm sure you can make yourself recognized through your words and emotions!"

He stopped laughing as he looked at you for a long moment.

"But still, I really like your hair, it suits you well!" You said with a smile, "If it's not too much to ask, can you tell me what's your friend's name?"

He still looked at you, his mouth slightly open. Did he hear you?

"Brook? Are you ok?" You said as you waved a hand in front of his face.

"U-Uh- sorry Y/n-san, what did you say? I didn't quite catch it"

You chuckled, "I asked you the name of your friend"

"Oh, his name is... Laboon"

Wait... did he just-... no way...

"Did you just say... Laboon?"

He looked at you surprised, "Yes, is there something wrong?"

You couldn't believe your ears. How did he know Laboon? Could he be one of the people that he told you about? The kind crew that took him along when he was still a cub?

"It's just that... a few years ago I met him, I met Labo-"

A loud sound erupted from the outside of the bubble as a big sea fish passed by at great speed. Everyone turned around to see dozens of threatening animals looking at the Sunny as if it was a delicious snack.

You didn't have time to continue the conversation.

Your new adventure was about to start.

~~~~~

The moon shined high in the sky, the Thousand Sunny sailing gently on the surface of the sea while a light wind created a pleasant background.

Your friends were scattered around the deck below you, some of them snoring loudly after all the sake they drunk during your 'welcome back' party. As if they hadn't already celebrated enough the evening before at the royal palace on Fishman Island. But, knowing them, every occasion was good to drink and celebrate.

As you watched the waves, the memories of this adventure flashed in your mind. You still couldn't believe how strong they have become. Even if it's been years since the last time you had been caught in so much trouble with them, it still amazed you greatly.

And to put the icing on the cake, during the great battle against Hody Jones' army you discovered that your battle techniques perfectly complemented Brook's fencing style! The surprise on the fishmen's faces as they saw the two of you striking them one after another was simply hilarious!

During the big party, however, Brook's words kept coming back to you.

'His name is... Laboon'

That night your searched for Nami, and fortunately she wasn't too drunk, yet.

You dragged her away from the party and outside on the balcony, and asked her about Brook's past.

She seemed surprised, but she told you everything she knew about him: how he was when he was still alive, how his crew adopted Laboon since he was separated from his school, how they had eventually left him behind for his sake and, unfortunately... his tragic fate.

You looked up at the stars from the upper deck, the wind moving a strand of your hair in front of your face as you recalled what happened during the ascent to the surface, when you encountered the school of whales.

Your heart ached as you heard him cry out for his lost friend, trying so hard to sing the song that was so dear to him.

You could still hear the pain in his voice... the pain of a soul who believed he could finally fulfill the promise made decades ago.

But Laboon wasn't there... and Brook knew too, but he continued to scream his name...

It just was too much for you... it was too much for him...

"Y/n-san? Is everything alright?"

You quickly turned around, the voice startling you. Brook was standing right next to you, on his face a concerned expression.

You looked back at him, a tiny smile appearing on your lips.

"I'm sorry, I hadn't noticed your presence Brook! I'm fine, why are you asking?" You looked at him. 

His expression worsened, "Y/n-san..."

"Why are you crying?"

Your hand touched your cheek, and sure enough, you felt wetness on it.

You were confused, your mind still clouded by those hurtful memories, but you still forced yourself to answer, "I've... been thinking a lot, I didn't mean to worry you..." you said as you dried your tears with the back of your hand.

You returned your attention to the sky, taking a deep breath to calm yourself before continuing.

He remained silent, his jaw slightly opening, but he remained silent.

You could feel he was searching for the right words to lighten your mood. And you really appreciated his kind gesture.

After all he went through, he was still so kind, always there for his friends... 

It was the time to return the favor.

"You know, Brook, very often in our lifetime we don't get to know people as we would like. People always hide a much deeper side inside them..."

He looked at you silently, still concerned for your behavior, but he let you go on.

"They hide their deepest fears, their sadness... their loneliness, without giving the others a chance to help them carry that weight" You looked at him once again, the moon illuminating his white face.

"There's a thing that I wanted to tell you the other day, but we got interrupted before I could get to it"

He looked surprised, "What were you going to say?"

"I wanted to tell you that... I met him too. It's been so long, but I still remember that day as if it was yesterday: the day I met Laboon on the Reverse Mountain"

His eyes widened as he looked at you, his jaw falling from the surprise, "Y-Y-You met him? You know Laboon too?!" His expression transformed into one of joy as he grabbed your shoulders.

You laughed as you recalled the memory, "I still remember the fear I felt when we found it in front of us as we descended from the mountain! He was simply gigantic! But after he calmed down, we talked for hours. He told me so much about your previous crew, Brook! He remembered every adventure he had with you all. And that deep down, he knew that one day his friends would come back for him."

You looked up as his face changed back and forth between confusion and happiness.

"What do you mean with 'talked'?" His grip on your shoulders slightly tightened.

You chuckled, "I still didn't have the chance to tell you, did I? I'm a Devil Fruit user too. I ate the Talk Talk Fruit, I can talk to animals!"

Suddenly he stopped as he let the information sink in.

You stared back as your smile grew a bit,  
"Brook, can I ask you something?"

His mind was still racing, but he asked back, "What is it?"

"I want you to make a promise...   
I want you to promise me that whenever you feel sad or troubled you'll talk to me"

His eyes widened for a moment as he let you go on.

"And in return I'll promise you that I'll stay by your side until the day you meet Laboon again. I'll help you translate what he says... even though I think that you two will surely understand each other without my help!"

He froze on the spot as he listened to your offer. He couldn't believe his ears.

He fell on his knees as he could feel his eyes filling with tears, even if he didn't have eyes in the first place!

"Brook, is everything ok? Does something hurt? Should I wake up Chopper?" You slightly panicked, not sure how to react.

His skinny arms wrapped around your smaller form, his head resting on your shoulder as he started crying. 

"Thank you... thank you so much Y/n-san! You can't even imagine how much this means to me!"

You let him vent on your shoulder, your hand slowly caressing his fluffy head to calm him down.

As he detached from you, he understood what he had done and quickly started to apologize, his hand waving in front of him, "I-I'm sorry Y/n-san, that was impolite of me, I'm just so happy and-"

You placed your hands on his cheek bones, using your thumbs to dry his tears. 

You slowly leaned up, leaving a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"There's no need for formalities! We are nakama now, you can just call me Y/n!"

He blushed, staring back as you laughed at his funny reaction. And you just couldn't resist anymore.

You leaned in once again, closing your eyes, this time leaving a gentle peck on his teeth. You could feel your cheeks become hotter as you opened your eyes.

He was stunned as he looked back at you, his entire skull turning red as you questioned how was that even possible.

"Y-Y/n, what was that for?!"

"I just felt like doing it!" You smiled brightly, your hands still placed on his cheek bones.

After a moment, he recovered from his slight shock, "Yohohoho, you'll make me have a heart attack one day! Oh, but I don't have a heart! Skull Joke! Yohohoho~"

You laughed with him, his jokes became one of your favorite things about him since you met him.

As your laugh turned into giggles, you looked at him once again.

"You still haven't answered." You said as you raised your pinkie in front of his face. "Do you promise?"

Brook blushed once again at your cuteness. His longer finger intertwined with yours, sealing the deal.

"I promise that I'll protect you until the end of my days, my dear"

He finally stood up again on his long legs, your hand still captured by his bigger one as you enjoyed the calming sound of the waves.

"By the way, Y/n..."

You looked up at his taller form once again.

"Can I still see your panties?"

You laughed as your cheeks tinted with red, a big smile reappearing on your lips, "Who knows? Maybe one day I'll let you have the privilege!"

This time, it was his turn to blush, "Y/n, you'll be the death of me if you continue to say such things! Even if I'm already dead, yohohoho!~"

That night a new chapter of your life started: a chapter filled with adventure, happiness... and love.


End file.
